By Lee Hyo-sik
Staff Reporter

Farmers are choosing to keep a larger number of ``hanwoo,'' Korea's domestic cattle, at home rather than sell them on the market amid falling prices as more consumers become reluctant to eat beef in the wake of the mad cow disease controversy.

Public concerns over the disease were sparked by a series of candlelit protests against the resumption of U.S. beef imports. A growing number of consumers have turned to pork and chicken, pushing up poultry prices in recent months.

According to the National Statistical Office (NSO) Tuesday, the number of hanwoo reached 2.25 million head nationwide as of the end of June, up 12.3 percent from a year earlier. It is also up 9.2 percent from three months ago.

Including other types of cattle raised here, the total number increased 9.2 percent to 2.45 million head from a year ago. The number of milk cows declined 2.4 percent to 445,000.

The number of farms breeding cattle fell 0.5 percent over the one-year period, but each livestock farmer raised an average of 12.9 cattle, up from 11.4 a year ago. The price of a bull hanwoo weighing 600kg has dropped to 3.67 million won in June from 4.76 million won late last year.

``The number of hanwoo and other types of cattle at farmhouses have increased as many farmers do not want to put them on sale because of falling prices. A drop in cattle prices is attributed to sluggish consumption in the wake of the mad cow scare, sparked by the ongoing controversy surrounding U.S. beef imports,'' an NSO official said.

He said stagnant consumption is the main culprit behind a rise in the number of hanwoo held by farmers.

Livestock raisers have begun breeding more pigs in recent months on rising consumption as more households choose pork as an alternative to beef.

The number raised in the country totaled 9.15 million last month, up 1.9 percent from March. The price of a pig weighing 100 kg rose to 303,000 won, up from 197,000 won in December.

The number of chickens bred for eggs rose 3.2 percent to 59.7 million in June from three months ago, while chickens raised for meat stood at 77.8 million, up 16.2 percent over the three month period as consumption rose on the subsiding avian influenza.

The wholesale price for an egg increased to 101 won from 96.5 won last December, while the price of chicken per kg fell to 1,237 won from 1,405 won.

leehs@koreatimes.co.kr